MH says 'willkommen' to German students

Mountain Home High School students welcomed 23 German students from the city of Regensburg on March 8. The students are visiting Mountain Home for three weeks as part of the German-American Partnership Program.(Photo11: Special to the Bulletin/John Blair)

Mountain Home High School has temporarily gained 23 additional students with the arrival of students from the German-American Partnership Plan.

This marks the 24th time for Mountain Home to participate in GAPP, which brings German students to America for three weeks in March and sends American students to Germany in June. This year’s exchange was the fourth consecutive time Mountain Home students were paired with students from Regensburg, which has a population of 140,000 residents.

The 23 German students arrived on the evening of March 8, and are staying until March 26. In the meantime, the students are attending classes at Mountain Home High School and experiencing American culture.

“You don’t really realize you’re in America,” said sophomore Jacob Kagermeier, who is being hosted by the family of Mountain Home senior Jesse Dunn. “When you’re in Germany, America is that far-away place.”

“It always seems like you are in a movie, because everything is like in a movie,” said sophomore Susi Sturzl, who is being hosted by the family of Mountain Home junior Bailey Ryan. “There is the buses, the food. It’s everything.”

Kagermeier said that American food was the favorite part of his visit. “Sonic, my new favorite fast food,” he said with a laugh.

In addition to attending class, the GAPP students have visited a paintball course and Silver Dollar City in Branson. Some activities for next week include a bonfire, a nature hike/cookout and a farewell party.

“The kids, both German and American, are running around nonstop,” Mountain Home German teacher Chris Francis said. “With texting and cell phones, a lot of events develop from them calling one another and saying, ‘Hey, let’s go do this’ or ‘Let’s all go here.’ Everyone wants to take them somewhere or show them something.”

On Thursday morning, the GAPP students visited Pinkston Middle School to meet with sixth- and seventh-graders there. At lunchtime, both the German and American students in GAPP had pizza in the High School’s library.

“The cool thing is that the American kids and the German (are) the same,” Mountain Home High School Principal Brent Bogy said, gesturing across a library filled with almost 50 teenagers eating pizza, talking with one another or checking their cell phones. “Kids are kids, whether it’s here or in Europe.”

“We are all pretty the same, because we are all the same age,” Sturzl said. “In general, everyone is so kind here. I don’t know if the Germans — when our exchange partners come to Germany — if everyone is so nice to them.”

Mountain Home senior Reese Wendfelt, whose family is hosting sophomore Maxilian Igl, said the two groups of students were jelling nicely.

“I know (Maxilian), he learned all my friends’ names the first day he was here,” Wendfelt said. “They met everyone, and everyone wants to ask them questions. After the first day or two, they got used to talking more and they’re real open with everybody.”

Francis said the GAPP application process tries to match students with similar interests so host students have something in common with their guests.

“Because of social media and technology in general, students are now able to get in touch before they visit,” he said. “Some students even go so far as video chatting with their partners, showing the other students their house, family and pets.”

Wendfeldt said getting to know Igl was easy.

“He’s a lot like me, he likes to go out and do stuff,” Wendfeldt said. “He likes to go and try out all the fast food restaurants they don’t have in Germany. He’s excited about Taco Bell. It’s fun. We’re having a good time.”

In June, the Mountain Home students now serving as hosts will visit Regensburg for three weeks to be hosted by the families of the German students. While there, the Mountain Home students will attend a German high school and visit the neighboring countries of Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Austria.

The Mountain Home GAPP students raised money for the trip by selling chocolates and collecting materials for recycling. BassCat Boats gave GAPP an assist by donating a large amount of recyclable materials.

GAPP students will also be raffling off a set of diamond earrings, which will be drawn during the group’s GAPP-Fest fundraiser on April 21 at Bomber Stadium. Students will also be selling advertising spots on a GAPP t-shirt.

“I try to stress to students the importance of getting to know other cultures,” Bogy said. “These kids are coming into your living room and interacting, that’s an opportunity most will not have.”